An Observer Best Debut of the Year A Granta Best of Young British Novelists 'Oozes with erotic tension from the start' Sarah Winman, author of Still Life 'Sublime. I loved this book' Julia Armfield, author of Our Wives Under the Sea 'Moody, generous and brilliant' Jessie Burton, author of The House of Fortune 'Tense, taut and exhilarating' Monica Heisey, author of Really Good, Actually 'I've completely fallen for the astonishing Mrs S' Andrea Lawlor, author of Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl Powerfully sensual and sublimely stylish, Mrs S is a tale of queer love that smoulders with the heat of summer. In an elite English boarding school where the girls kiss the marble statue of the famous dead author who used to walk the halls, a young Australian woman arrives to take up the antiquated role of 'matron'. Within this landscape of immense privilege, in which the girls can sense the slightest weakness in those around them, she finds herself unsure of her role, her accent and her body. That is until she meets Mrs S, the headmaster's wife, a woman who is her polar opposite: assured, sophisticated, a paragon of femininity. Over the course of a long, restless heatwave, the matron finds herself irresistibly drawn ever closer into Mrs S's world and their unspoken desire blooms into an illicit affair of electric intensity. But, as the summer begins to fade, both women know that a choice must be made. K Patrick's portrait of the butch experience is revelatory; exploring the contested terrain of our bodies, our desires and the constraints society places around both.

Mrs S marks the arrival of a major new literary talent, unlike any other. 'The intense physicality of the novel's emotions and its stylish, stripped-back prose make for an arresting pairing' Observer 'Atmospheric and daring' Guardian 'There's nothing else like it out there' The Times 'Bold and beautiful. Desire crackles through these pages like fire' Telegraph 'Entirely captivating' New York Times 'Reading Mrs S is a delicious experience' Rupert Thomson, author of Never Anyone But You Gold title * A gripping, sensual literary debut about an illicit affair between a young woman working as matron at a boarding school and the headmaster's wife * K Patrick is a rising literary star: they were selected as an Observer Best Debut Novelist, a Granta Best of Young British Novelists in 2023 and shortlisted for the BBC Short Story Prize * Praise from writers including Julia Armfield, Sarah Winman, Monica Heisey and Jessie Burton, with rave reviews in the Observer, Guardian, Times, Telegraph, New York Times and more * Perfect for fans of queer literary fiction and authors such as Garth Greenwell, André Aciman and Patricia Highsmith's The Price of Salt or Carol * Set in an elite British boarding school, this will also appeal to fans of the dark academia trend on TikTok Competition: carol;price of salt;fen;cleanness;call me by your name;find me;sterling karat gold;open water;rainbow milk;companion piece. garth greenwell;patricia highsmith;andre aciman;julia armfield;daisy johnson;andrew holleran;andrew mcmillan;isabel waidner;yara rodrigues fowler;caleb nelson;ali smith.